AP PhotoMatthew Stafford celebrating with fans after clinching the team's first playoff berth since 1999

Detroit fans have wanted to love coach Jim Schwartz and quarterback Matthew Stafford since both joined the Lions in 2009.

The problem with the Lions, however, is every time you get your hopes up, the team turns around and dashes those hopes on the rocks.

No playoff berths since 1999. No playoff wins since 1992. 0-16 in 2008. A decade of Matt Millen. There is a generation of football fans that have sadly only known the Detroit Lions as NFL doormats.

So you have to forgive the trepidation of Detroiters over the last couple months. After jumping out to a 5-0 start this year, the Lions dropped five of their next seven to go from a virtual lock fro the post-season to the possibility of another huge disappointment for their faithful followers.

You just know there were people all over metro Detroit that had the phrase "Same Old Lions" perched precariously on their tongues ready to burst forward when Minnesota was down only six points and on the Lions' one yard line at the end of the game on December 11.

Schwartz has improved the team's record in each of his three seasons, going from 2-14 to 6-10 to 10-5 this year with one more game to play. His exuberance sometimes even crosses the line, as witnessed by his rundown of San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh after an over-zealous hand shake and back pat. But that exuberance is infectious.

Plus, even though he has only been here for three years, Schwartz understands the pain Detroiters have felt over the years. His quote after beating San Diego Saturday says it all:

"There's going to come a time when we don't celebrate going to the playoffs, or getting into the playoffs," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "It's not going to be tonight."

Schwartz will never be completely satisfied until he has led the Lions to a championship, and probably not even then, but he will make sure his staff, his players and the fans take time to appreciate every step of the way. The best moment of the celebration on Saturday was the players and coaches taking a lap around Ford Field shaking hands and high-fiving the fans so they could celebrate together. That was Schwartz's idea.

As for Stafford, it has not really been a question of his skills, but his durability that kept fans from completely embracing him. He managed to start only 10 games as a rookie before getting injured, and got through only three games last year before once again succumbing to injury.

Heading into this season, Stafford was one big injury away from fans, and possibly the franchise, giving up on him altogether.

Nothing worse than a broken finger later, Stafford has set single-season records for completions, touchdown passes and passing yards. He has also tied the team record for career 300-yard passing games at eight.

(Side Note: That alone should remind everyone just how sad the Lions' quarterback situation has been for the last 50 years if a guy who has started 28 games has already set a career franchise record.)

Stafford not only proved he can stay healthy, he proved that fans will be impressed with the way he can perform. Detroiters no longer have to hang their hat on the hated Scott Mitchell as their team's best quarterback since Bobby Layne.

Making it into the playoffs is the first of the big goals Jim Schwartz and Matthew Stafford have for the Lions. Now their fans can enjoy the ride knowing that, at the very least, the rest of the NFL can no longer look at them as one of the also-rans.